Which spotter is "good enough" ?

[jmden]

I recently picked up a Kowa 554 (straight version) and this or the 553 has pretty much got to be the best compromise between weight and good glass out there.

Call Doug at cameralandny.com. He gave me a deal much better than anything else I could find, below $1400. Join rokslide.com and tell him you are a member. I called opticsplanet.com and they told me they'd come down to $1400. Called Doug and he said he'd beat that, wasn't super happy, but he beat it.

It's one of only 2-3 or so models of Kowa scopes, of all the brands, (only Kowa spotting scopes because they are the only company that's developed the technolog, as I understand it) that use pure fluorite crystal (not HD optical glass) for the objective lens. From what I understand, fluorite crystal is apparently better than anything else out there at reducing chromatic abberation, better than all the HD/ED optical glass out there, thus giving a better picture.

That being said, objective size is huge in terms of pulling in light and increasing resolution. The small 55mm objective lens of the 553/554 does hamper them a bit. I wish they'd gone with a 60mm or so.

My Kowa 664, though 1 lb greater weight than the 554 and no fluorite crystal (it's ED glass), is a very slightly better resolution and pulls light in just a bit better. In fact, I still think for the money that Kowa 663/664 may be the best deal out there of the well known brands. It's got a really good picture, but as if often the case with Kowa, folks complain of a narrow field of view.

The vast majority of my hunts are backpack hunts back in designated wilderness, sometimes super steep and x-country. Weight and size savings are key, especially when I've got a dry camp. The Kowa 554, combined with a good, lightweight tripod like the Sirui T-025X (1 lb 13 oz each for scope and tripod) is a pretty good compromise, all thing considered.

 

[utahminer]

I recently picked up a Kowa 554 (straight version) and this or the 553 has pretty much got to be the best compromise between weight and good glass out there.

Call Doug at cameralandny.com. He gave me a deal much better than anything else I could find, below $1400. Join rokslide.com and tell him you are a member. I called opticsplanet.com and they told me they'd come down to $1400. Called Doug and he said he'd beat that, wasn't super happy, but he beat it.

It's one of only 2-3 or so models of Kowa scopes, of all the brands, (only Kowa spotting scopes because they are the only company that's developed the technolog, as I understand it) that use pure fluorite crystal (not HD optical glass) for the objective lens. From what I understand, fluorite crystal is apparently better than anything else out there at reducing chromatic abberation, better than all the HD/ED optical glass out there, thus giving a better picture.

That being said, objective size is huge in terms of pulling in light and increasing resolution. The small 55mm objective lens of the 553/554 does hamper them a bit. I wish they'd gone with a 60mm or so.

My Kowa 664, though 1 lb greater weight than the 554 and no fluorite crystal (it's ED glass), is a very slightly better resolution and pulls light in just a bit better. In fact, I still think for the money that Kowa 663/664 may be the best deal out there of the well known brands. It's got a really good picture, but as if often the case with Kowa, folks complain of a narrow field of view.

The vast majority of my hunts are backpack hunts back in designated wilderness, sometimes super steep and x-country. Weight and size savings are key, especially when I've got a dry camp. The Kowa 554, combined with a good, lightweight tripod like the Sirui T-025X (1 lb 13 oz each for scope and tripod) is a pretty good compromise, all thing considered.

Great post. I can't express how much more helpful this is compared to the typical "buy x brand and thank me later".
Thanks jmden

 

[mtmuley]

I recently picked up a Kowa 554 (straight version) and this or the 553 has pretty much got to be the best compromise between weight and good glass out there.

Call Doug at cameralandny.com. He gave me a deal much better than anything else I could find, below $1400. Join rokslide.com and tell him you are a member. I called opticsplanet.com and they told me they'd come down to $1400. Called Doug and he said he'd beat that, wasn't super happy, but he beat it.

It's one of only 2-3 or so models of Kowa scopes, of all the brands, (only Kowa spotting scopes because they are the only company that's developed the technolog, as I understand it) that use pure fluorite crystal (not HD optical glass) for the objective lens. From what I understand, fluorite crystal is apparently better than anything else out there at reducing chromatic abberation, better than all the HD/ED optical glass out there, thus giving a better picture.

That being said, objective size is huge in terms of pulling in light and increasing resolution. The small 55mm objective lens of the 553/554 does hamper them a bit. I wish they'd gone with a 60mm or so.

My Kowa 664, though 1 lb greater weight than the 554 and no fluorite crystal (it's ED glass), is a very slightly better resolution and pulls light in just a bit better. In fact, I still think for the money that Kowa 663/664 may be the best deal out there of the well known brands. It's got a really good picture, but as if often the case with Kowa, folks complain of a narrow field of view.

The vast majority of my hunts are backpack hunts back in designated wilderness, sometimes super steep and x-country. Weight and size savings are key, especially when I've got a dry camp. The Kowa 554, combined with a good, lightweight tripod like the Sirui T-025X (1 lb 13 oz each for scope and tripod) is a pretty good compromise, all thing considered.

This just reinforces the fact that I should have saved some more money before getting Vortexed. mtmuley

 

[schmalts]

Do a little research on Athlon scopes. They Make some very nice glass. Cabela brand scopes are made by Athlon. If you are not a label junky and want to save a buck it may be an option??? I should say they made some of Cabelas previous spotting scopes. Not sure if they make their current scopes???

Take a look at the Ares and the Cronus spotters by Athlon

Made by Athlon?? LOl... That means Athlon would have to make their own scopes....

 

[Stingray]

I’ve been researching the same brands in search of a scope. I am intrigued by the new Leupold because in paper it looks like a winner and I like the brand. That said, going to bird watching sites I have learned a lot about the nuances that serious birders look for. Kowa and Swarovski are consistently rated at the top of the list due to the ability of each scope to control CA and edge to edge clarity at high magnification. And most sites seem to score Kowa in top.

For more budget friendly options, the Kowa 500s and 600s and Meopta 80 are each given rave reviews for ability to see objects clearly while at high magnification and for CA control. While many hunters like Vortex (and I think they do a nice job of balancing quality and price) the brand doesn’t get a lot of endorsements on birder forums as the reviewers tends to see more CA, less clarity and less edge to edge clarity at high magnification. Point being, if you pay for 60x magnicistion the birders want to be able to see feather detail on a bird using the 60x they paid for. And several receivers say vortex isn’t as strong as others. If you were looking for a spotter for elk I’d say Vortex is great. But for a sheep where you need to know if the animal is legal and worth the stock, I’d probably lean toward Kowa or maybe Meopta.

Hope that helps.

 

[schmalts]

If you are interested in a Leupold or Meopta spotter PM me. The new leupold SX-5 is a legit premium spotting scope worth the price.

 

[Stingray]

If you are interested in a Leupold or Meopta spotter PM me. The new leupold SX-5 is a legit premium spotting scope worth the price.

I haven’t seen any r views if it. But I’m a fan of the brand. How does the santiam scope compare to the Meopta, Zeiss, Kowa, etc?

 

[madeirax56]

The best way to find a great spotter is to ask people who know what they are talking about. Visit some birding sites and you will quickly find out that they have forgotten more about spotting scopes than most hunters know. cloudynights is another great site for optics info.

Hunters don't know poop from puddin when it comes to optics and almost always recommend the same 3 brands based on no real comparison, or getting into the real nuts and bolts. There is a ton of great glass out there beyond those 3, brands that most hunters have never even heard of. Most hunters think that a swaro spotter is the best glass ever, they have no idea that there are higher end lenses that photographers use that are 20k - 200k, or that the real top shelf glass is in sophisticated medical equipment, not spotting scopes. Hunters have no idea about brands like takahanshi, pentax, kowa, minox, Steiner, etc... who all make top grade optics.

A good example
Most hunters have no idea that you can change eye pieces in spotters and that some have a standard 1.25 eye piece.
Most hunters do not know that there are fixed eye pieces for spotting scopes since all the hunting models come with adjustable.
Most hunters have no idea that fixed eye pieces offer much better view than adjustable eye pieces.
Most hunters have no idea that the real differences in spotters is in the eye pieces.

If you want to look through some great glass at a fair price try the Kowa or a Pentax ED. Both get really good reviews from folks who know.

Yeah this guy is wayyyy correct. You guys wanna know about good glass you gotta look at what the bird watchers and photographers are talking about. I am a hunter, I use a Vortex Razor 65mm, I’m young, been hunting 4 years, I don’t yet care about rings, points, forks, angles, skull size whatever…all my optics are Vortex cuz I had a very, very good experience with them and their customer service a few years ago. I acknowledge that some day I’ll want/need to upgrade to true alpha glass, but for now I need to purchase value in everything I own. And the fact that they’ll replace it if I damage it forever is the value I need for now.

Anyways, the past couple years I took up two pursuits. Birding, and backpacking. The BEST advice I could give anyone is: if you wanna know about optics, go on some birding forums. If you wanna know about cutting your pack weight, mountain fitness, hydration, food supply, and anything related to the hiking/camping/backpacking/eating/ drinking portion of hunting (the 90% before the shot…and after), start watching backpacking videos on YouTube, start reading and commenting on backpacking forums. These guys go out for weeks with an 8lb backpack…You’ll cut your pack weight, become more efficient in your travels, you’ll learn how to pack and eat, you’ll learn how NOT to waste energy, and you’ll be more comfortable, and happier overall in the bush.

Kind of a rant I’m sorry but it’s the truth. You don’t know, what you don’t know! And the marketing of hunting products drives us crazy to think we NEED certain stuff. Backpacking, birding. Take 20 minutes and check it out.